Dramatic Swirly Eyes featuring Glamatronic

I have a quick makeup look to share today- quick to post that is! It was actually rather time consuming to apply :) I did a trade ages ago with Sosha from Glamatronic Couture, and the colors I received are still some of my favorites to pull out for a quick night out look! 

I'm still no great shakes at photographing my face, as opposed to my nails, so forgive the fact that my skin appears to be incredibly washed out- I promise I'm not quite that pale! The shadows themselves are showing very true to color.

Products used:

primer (couldn't tell you which one, sorry)

Loreal True Match liquid foundation and pressed powder in Alabaster

Hard Candy Eyeshadow Primer

Cover Girl Perfect Point Eyeliner in Black Onyx

Wet N Wild Waterproof Liquid Liner in Very Black

Glamatronic Loose Shadows in Punk Pixie (silvery grey), Isabella's Ruby (pink) and Nebula (purple)

I applied Isabella's Ruby to the inner 2/3 or my lid, and inner 1/2 of my lower lash line, Nebula to the outer parts of both my lid and lash line, and then Punk Pixie above the crease. Using the Wet N Wild liquid liner (my go-to until I discovered gel!) I just started creating swirly designs on the outer corners of my eyes. The finished design almost looks like feathers! I don't tend to wear this kind of dramatic liner out, though I did when I was younger! Maybe I'll dreg through some old photos and see if I can find some nice examples :)

Glamatronic shadows can be purchased on Etsy. Punk Pixie is not currently listed, and I'm not sure if it's discontinued or not, but Nebula and Isabella's Ruby (along with many other gorgeous shades!) are up!

Ignite the Imagination!: Black Widow Balms

As much as I love nail polish, I love makeup, too. So every now and then I veer off into the less familiar territory of makeup reviewing. Today is one of those days. Now, I'm not a lipstick girl. I probably only own three real lipsticks. While I love the idea, and there are some out there I would die to own, I haven't found many good ones. They tend to be either too drying, or they don't last. Enter tinted lip balm! Lip balm, I probably have about 100 of! 

Enter Black Widow Balm. First of all: LOVE the packaging! Typical lip balm tube size and shape, but in black with an adorable sugar-skull looking guy on it. Black Widow Balm's website states: "We have a healthy obsession with healthy lips. We've created a moisturizing line of tinted lip balm butter to smooth your pout. All our lip balms contain rich shea butter, mango butter and coconut oil with mood soothing essential oils to gently lift your spirits."

 On to the pretty!

Okay, so this one is not so pretty. This is my bare lip, after abstaining from any balm use for at least an hour. You know, for comparison purposes. I have a very sensitive nose, but I can be very bad at identifying smells, so I'll give my guesses as to smell, then the shop description. 

Our first balm is Gossip, a sheer bright red balm with a very cinnamon-y smell. 

Black Widow calls it "The scandal maker." A sheer, cherry pop of color. "Smells like just baked cinnamon rolls with a sprig of mint." This is easily one of my favorites- the color builds, so with a few applications, you get a nice red lip look. I'm not sure how to quantify it, but I applied all balms just as I would a regular, non tinted balm. 

Next up is Holly, a sheer, juicy orange with a very fruity- but not cirtusy, smell.

"Never Go Lightly" This is my first experience with orange lips, and I kind of like it. Especially since it's sheer, and not too in-your-face. Don't get me wrong, I love bright colors, but since I don't wear lip color often, this is a great way to experiment a bit.  "Tantalizing tangerine tint. Raspberry fragrance."

Kiss of Death is an orange-y, brick red tint with a spicy scent.

"XXXOOO" This one is darker and less subtle than Holly. Still sheer, still appropriate for a day look, but would definitely punch up and evening look as well. "Kiss of Death is a knock-out red. Essential extracts on cinnamon, clove and basil oils softens your lip and is scented to spicy perfection."

Orb is a sheer, coral pink with a fruity, berry fragrance.

"Celestial shine. Orb lip balm colors your lips to a shimmering light pink. . . . lavendar, spicy black pepper and sweet raspberry." I put this color to the "work test" and it passed with flying colors. This is easily my favorite of the bunch, as it's very soft and neutral. 

Ursula looks a bit scary in the tube, but applies as a sheer, dark purple. Scented, but I couldn't identify it.

Dramatic, but not overbearing. "Ursula is the first in our tinted lip balm line. It tints to a bold black-violet color while soothing lips with clove, lavender and vanilla." 

Voodoo also looks frighteningly dark in the tube, but goes on a sheer brownish. Another scent I couldn't quite place.

I have incredibly pale skin, but this would be a lovely "neutral" shade if you are have a darker complexion. "Voodoo lip balm colors your lips to a ripe plum tint. Essential extracts of cinnamon, black pepper and lavendar oils" I would call this color more of a cocoa than a plum, but there are definite purple undertones.

Last up is Spell. This one was more opaque than the rest- a creamy, dusty violet color with a fruit scent.

"Spell's charm is found in its lilac bloom color. . . . vanilla, black pepper and lavender oil starts with a sweet scent and finishes clean." Guess I was wrong about fruity? Spell is definitely the boldest of the bunch.

As I stated up-post, Black Widow Balms definitely passed the "work-test". I kept Orb in my pocket at work all day, and used it exclusively. They go on smoothly- light and oily (in a good way), not at all sticky. It feels like it sits on top of the lip, but is very moisturizing. Slightly sweet, but not flavored. Great color payoff and very shiny. I noticed- with Orb at least, and to some extent Gossip- that the color builds. When the shine/moisture wears off and it's time to reapply, the color is still there. Not really a stain, because you can get the color off, but it does become more intense with repeated application. Black Widow recommends layering these over your favorite lip color, but it certainly isn't necessary.

Bottom line: these balms are amazing. Feels just like a standard lip balm, with a pop of color and great scent. Orb has become my go-to lip color, and I reach for it far more often than I ever have with my lipsticks. Holly and Gossip are definitely close seconds. Black Widow Balms run $8 a piece, and can be purchased on Etsy or directly from their website. Be sure to stop by and like them on Facebook as well!

Support your indies, ladies!

Cheers,

-Liz-

* These products were provided to me for an honest review.

Not Really Polish: What Happens in Vegas by Makeup Your Face

For today's second post (in apology for going two days with no post!), we have a little something different. I have done makeup reviews before, but I'm still far better taking photos of my nails, so bear with me!

Today's lovely, which I do absolutely love, it the What Happens in Vegas eyeshadow stack from Makeup Your Face. Contains loose, slightly shimmery shadows in 6 shades: Top to bottom: Honeymoon Suite (hot pink), Weekend Getaway (orange), Jackpot (yellow), Drive Thru Blue (duh), Royal Flush (purple) and Lost Wages (black).

Arm swatches: brushed on over Hard Candy Eye Shadow Primer. Full Sun.

I played around with this one for quite a while before this post, and I have three looks to show you today.

Look #1: Rainbow eyes! I used Honeymoon Suite in the corner of my upper lid, Weekend Getaway in the middle of my lid, Jackpot on the outer lid corner and on the brow bone, then Royal Flush and Drive Thru Blue on my lower lash line, all over Hard Candy primer. I mixed a bit of my primer with Lost Wages to use as liner. Topped with Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara in black. Waterline liner is Cover Girl Perfect Point eyeliner in Black Onyx. I absolutely love rainbow eyes, and any palette with a good chunk of rainbow colors will eventually be used as a rainbow eye! I did find myself wishing for a good green in this stack a few times.

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Look #2: Sunset eyes. Honeymoon Suite on the brow bone, Weekend Getaway on my upper lid, and Jackpot blended with a bit of Weekend Getaway on my lower lash line. Rimmel Scandal-Eyes Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Black (which I found thanks to You Had Me at Makeup- bought it the day I read her review), and the same mascara, primer and waterline liner as before. 

Aand Look #3. Which would not photograph properly. I was in a rush to get out the door, and all my photos had this odd, fairy light look to them. Anyway: Drive Thru Blue on my lid, Royal Flush on my brow bone and lower lash line, Lost Wages mixed with primer to create liner. Primer, mascara waterline as before.

These shadows were all nice and bright. If you put them on dry with a light touch, you can achieve a nice wash of color (which is foreign to me!). Over primer, or even wet- WOW. I've never really used shadow wet, other than as an eyeliner, but if you want through the roof color intensity, these will absolutely get there. These shadows also lasted- through breakfast with my four and one year old niece and nephew in one case, through a day of shopping- and trying on clothes, no less!- in nearly 100 degree heat. No caking, no smudging. All were applied using Eco Tools Bamboo shadow brush. Very little fallout. Overall: I'm very impressed with these, and can't wait to show you all my other goodies from Lauren at Makeup Your Face! I've got more shadows, including a creme shadow trio, plus lip gloss and body shimmer. She is also offering NAIL POLISH now, which I totally would have snapped up if they were available when I got these!

Makeup Your Face products can all be purchased on Etsy. This stack runs $17. MUYF offers many shadow shades in stacks, single color pots and sample size baggies, plus lip glosses, body shimmers, nail polish and nail polish jewelry. Stop by Facebook and pay them a like, then check out Lauren's blog- she's reviewed one of my polishes as well :)

Support your indies, ladies!

Cheers,

-Liz-

First Non-Polish Review!

When I was an Etsy newbie, back in the day, my very first purchase, and about the subsequent ten, were all indie cosmetics. I went on a sample shopping spree. I fell in love with the idea of indie cosmetics. Then indie polish came on the radar, and I sort of forgot about the whole makeup scene. Until I began this blog, and began searching for more and more companies to spotlight. After all, there are only so many indie polish brands out there! So, without further ado . . .

For my very first non-polish related post, I have three lovely shadows from Moon Goddess Cosmetics. Selina from Moon Goddess offers loose mineral shadows in matte, semi-matte, shimmer and super shimmer, as well as shimmery lip gloss. All products are vegan and cruelty free! I received three sample size baggies, from three different shadow collections. 

Envy, Libra, Telephone

Dry swatches over eye primer, top to bottom: Telephone, Envy, Libra

"Envy is a bold and rich green with some golden undertones. Has a shimmery finish." Envy is part of the Seven Deadly Sins Collection.

"Libra is a shade of pretty pink with a shimmer finish." Libra is part of the Zodiac Collection.

"Telephone is a bright teal color with a semi-matte finish. Inspired by the headress Lady Gaga wore in her music video 'Telephone'." From the seven piece Lady Gaga Collection. Even described as "semi-matte", Telephone still featured enough shimmer to stand up along with the other two.

Since there were three shadows, I tried three different looks with them. This look is Telephone on the brow bone and inner eye crease, Libra on eyelid crease and lower lash line, and Envy on the lid. All looks feature NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer, Cover Girl Perfect Point Eyeliner in Black Onyx, and Maybelline Lash Stiletto in Very Black.

Look 2 features Telephone on the lid and lower lash line, and Envy on the crease. This is my favorite look of the three, and I've actually worn it out three times!

Look 3 shows Libra on the crease, Envy on the lid and Telephone on the lower lash line.

All three of these shadows went on very opaque and bright, but were super blendable. I applied them over primer with an Eco Tools Bamboo Eye Shadow brush. Each look took less than 5 minutes to apply, and lasted all night! I wore it out shopping in 100 degree heat one day- trying on clothes and everything- and barely experienced any melt down, and no caking at all. 

Moon Goddess Cosmetics offers tons of bright, beautiful shades of shadow, as well as gorgeous, shimmery lip glosses that appear to be pretty bright as well. While I haven't tried the lip shades, they are certainly on my wish list now. 

Moon Goddess Cosmetics can be purchased on Etsy. Full size 5 gram jars are $7, and come with a sifter on request. Samples come in 3 gram jars for $3.50. This shop also features free shipping on all US order, free applicators with any full size shadow purchase, and a free shadow sample on all orders over $25! You can also follow on Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot. 

*These products were provided to me for an honest review.